Don't Trust Her

Single by SKANKt, released July 2023

I had the privilege of creating single-cover artwork for the band SKANKt for the second time in a year. After an initial chat with the band I had a good understanding of what the new single was about and why they had written it. Their new single had a clear narrative and I was thrilled to be entrusted with the task of translating it into visual art. When we began, the band didn't have a clear vision for the artwork's concept or look, giving me the creative freedom to immerse myself in their music and craft an idea they might embrace.

After some brainstorming and initial sketches, I met with the band again to discuss my progress and select the concept to move forward with. The concept that resonated the most was the depiction of Liz Truss as the malevolent witch from the tale of Sleeping Beauty. In this visual, Truss would extend a hand, offering the listener a poisoned apple—a concept that struck a chord with the band.

To convey a dark and slightly eerie atmosphere, I decided to work in drypoint, which I believed would give the artwork the scratchy, witchy appearance I envisioned. After refining my sketches based on feedback from the band, I began working on the plate.

Drypoint prints are crafted by meticulously etching a reversed image into a plate using a needle, resulting in grooves and burrs. Ink is applied to the plate, wiped clean, and then printed onto damp paper using an etching press. For this project, I opted for an acrylic plate, which I positioned over a black background to aid in seeing the marks more clearly. Although, angling the plate awkwardly towards natural light is the only real way of seeing how a print might emerge. Hence the eerie photo of the reflection of my workshop window.

One challenge I often encounter when creating commissions with Drypoint is that the prepared plate doesn't visually represent the final print's beauty. Unlike relief printing, where the carved block is visually appealing, Drypoint requires clients to visualize the image in reverse and negative. An additional complication is that a drypoint plate degrades each time it is printed, so lots of proofs and test prints will affect the overall quality of the final piece of artwork. It just means photos for the clients get a little experimental, either with reflected light on a plate, or using digital affects to give a better impression of how the print will come out.

Once I (and the band) were happy with the plate in what we hoped would be the final state, I proceeded to print.

Printing artwork like this is very different to printing an edition of prints. With editions, I'm always stiving for consistency between prints. With artwork like this, I am looking for slight variations, which would give myself, and ultimately the client, options to choose from for the final artwork. The main variations I was looking for, was the richness of the blacks, the plate tone and the marks that would create the background of the image.

Uneven plate tone within drypoint is sometimes seen as a negative, but I firmly believe it adds depth, emotion, and authenticity to an image. I was happy when the band agreed, and chose a print with not just tonal background, but also edge marks, over the cleaner prints I had created with a polished plate.